Golden Archer
by I love Spartacus
Summary: Fed up with the match-making antics of his parents, Prince Darien decides to host an annual archery contest for women only. The prize? Why his hand in marriage of course! With his parents about to expire from the horror, Prince Darien meets an unlikely contestant who captures his attention.
1. Chapter 1

Fed up with the match-making antics of his parents, Prince Darien decides to host an annual archery contest for women only. The prize? Why his hand in marriage of course! With his parents about to expire from the horror, Prince Darien meets an unlikely contestant who captures his attention and becomes the source of a coming war.

Disclaimer: This is a sad day. I have no legal rights to the creator and the world of the most versatile anime in the world. Love Sailor Moon!

A/N: I wanted to do something fun. So please have a read and express your opinions in reviews! THANK YOU!

**Prologue:**

Standing on the fringes of the milling crowd, Serena felt her chest tighten as tormented childhood memories gripped her for an instant. As she fought internally against her reasons for entering the stupid contest, she straightened her back and threw back her shoulders; only to have the sudden burst of confidence slip away once more. A farmer's daughter, she had no place among the other young women in society. Uneducated and doomed to a life time of back breaking work, she had no business showing her face in such a public gathering. _Walk away, _her mind whispered. _You will never amount to anything. _

Fingers curling around the rough texture of the bow, she almost turned away. Yet, she did not. She had something to prove, that even the poor could be respected. Feeling determination surge through her, she squared her shoulders and lifted her chin, staring coldly at the platform where nobility sat regally, the same arrogance and pride pouring off each and every one of them.

Lips curling in disdain, she moved in the direction where the archers were gathering. Eyeing the women in contempt, Serena blew a lock of hair from her eyes. With so many competitors, she could only pray none of them were half as good as her.

* * *

"You are a disgrace to this Kingdom!To offer your hand to a commoner? _A commoner_! Are you _insane?_"

Watching his father's face turn tomato red to alarmingly purple, Darien cleaned out his ears. Despite the risk of his father having another heart attack, he couldn't help but smile in amusement.

"And what do you suppose to do about it, father? Have my head on a spike? Now that would be a first."

"You..._you_!" The King of Earth spluttered. "If the any of this rubbish gets within earshot of the people of Dark Moon, do _you_ know what they will do?"

"Laugh and be merry?" Darien mused sarcastically.

"There will be war, you fool. _War_. Does that mean nothing to you?" The King roared.

Resting a steady hand on her husband's arm, the Queen of Earth glared. "Calm yourself, my love," she said softly before narrowing amber eyes at the handsome prince. "Leave us. I will not have your father suffer another attack because of you. If he dies, it will be all your fault. Do _you_ understand?"

"Yes. I understand,_" _Darien muttered under his breath. For all he knew, the woman had brain washed his father to the point where he couldn't think straight. In his opinion, she was the reason behind his mother's suicide, yet she wasn't entirely to blame, he thought sadly. If he hadn't turned her down six years ago, perhaps his mother would still be alive. Feeling remorse, guilt and grief all at the same time, he took a deep breath. Time to go.

With thoughts of the women lining up to compete for his hand, the Prince smiled, feeling much better. He had a competition to run and a thousand hearts to break. Women were such fools...

A/N: THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR CASTING YOUR EYES OVER THIS SOMEWHAT WANNABE, TRY HARD, Done a thousand times PIECE OF WORK. Hope you like the following chapters that are sure to come (once I complete my assignments for U.N.I.V.E.R.S.I.T.Y :( ).


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Thank you for reading! And now I can go back to my assignments!

Chapter 1:

Stepping out onto the dais, Darien was met by a sea of women. Aware of his friends and relatives shooting daggers at his back, he ignored them, focusing on the task at hand. If they believed every word that came out of his mouth then they were fools. With no intention of marrying the winner, he felt guilt lance through him as he stared at the hopeful faces. It was unfair of him, but he was a Prince and no law would allow him to marry anyone below him. It was a fact; yet it seemed the women did not care. Drawing a breath, he thought of his father and his purpling face. He did sincerely hope he was feeling better. In truth, the contest was purely organised out of revenge. It was his way of getting back at his father, who had taken it upon himself to shape his future. Still feeling guilty, he swallowed and put on his charm. He would see this to the end.

"Welcome, my good people of Earth. Welcome to the archery contest for women only!" Amid the cheers, he flashed his most winning smile. "As with all contests, those who fail to hit the target will be eliminated from the contest. Best of luck, ladies. May the best woman win." Then winking at the crowd, he blew a kiss. "I look forward to meeting my new wife."

As the Prince of Earth moved to take his seat, the atmosphere was almost palpable with excitement and lust. As women giggled and crowded closer, Serena balked. She hadn't realised the prize was the Prince's hand in marriage. Despite everyone knowing, she had simply tuned out; the only words sticking in her head were archery, contest and Prince. If she had known what the prize was, she would have never entered. Turning to leave, the competitors hemmed her in, leaving no space to escape. Turning back to where the Prince was seated, her expression darkened. The Prince was a rotten man, and though time had changed his appearance over the last few years, it did not change his personality. She knew first hand what he was really like.

They had met ten years ago. It had been a brilliant day when the first Queen of Earth had come to visit the poor. Traveling in her company, the young Prince sneered at everything he saw. Being one of the very few girls in the village she had counted herself as one of the boys, even dressing like one just to fit. On that particular day, they were playing with stones seeing who could throw the furthest. Of course the Prince thought he was better than everyone else and began to jeer, taking particular interest in her. Having had enough of his ridicule, Serena had simply turned around and thumped him, forgetting their positions and height differences for one moment. She got him good, splitting his lip. And before anyone knew what was happening, they had launched into a wrestling match, Serena giving it all she got.

That was when her father came running, pulling her off the rotten brat before clouting her across the ear. Then he had apologised profusely to the young Prince who was indignant, shouting cruel words at her father. The Queen hearing the commotion had emerged from one of the huts and immediately went to see. She was unimpressed by the scene but with her father groveling and begging for forgiveness at her feet for long minutes, she bid him rise and spoke softly. Then looking to her son, she gave him a disappointed look before taking him away. That night, her father had tanned her hide so hard, she couldn't sit for a week. After the incident, the villagers had been sure the young Prince would never return, but he did the next time his mother visited. With him, he had brought his friends and got his revenge. They beat her and tore at her clothes, even cutting some of her hair before they were chased away by the village boys. After that, the Prince stopped coming. It wasn't a memory she liked to visit.

As the voice of the adjudicator snapped her back to reality, Serena watched as the competitors were lined up in ten columns, each column containing at least twenty women. Across the field, targets were positioned at least 500 meters away. One by one the archers first in line were asked to prepare themselves. Jittery nerves caused the competitors to drop their bows. Shaking her head at the idiots who kept dropping their bows, Serena forced herself to remain still. It was either that or strangle them. As the adjudicator inspected the competitors, he nodded in approval. Walking back up to the top of the line, it was time to begin.

"Ladies, ready! Notch. Draw. Release!"

Arrows whistled though the air as strings twanged, the archers watching eagerly as the arrows thudded against the targets. As women cried or squealed with delight, the number of competitors grew smaller and smaller. When it came around to her turn, Serena breezed through the first stage of the competition, her quarrel hitting the bullseye straight on. Hearing the cheers from onlookers, she smiled thinly. There was a way out of the competition, she thought. All she had to do was lose. But, her pride would not let her. She was not hailed as the best archer in her village for no reason. And here was a chance to prove her worth. Besides, the Prince was watching; and that was all that concerned her. Blocking out the rest of her sub-conscience, she prepared for the second stage.

As competitors were eliminated and targets moved even further, Serena found herself one of the two remaining. Looking at the competitor, she was surprised as she met the violet gaze of the beautiful young woman. Raven-haired and as pale as snow, the woman did not look impressed. She looked angry even. Deciding then and there, that she would lose to the girl, Serena wished her a happy future.

As the men readied the targets, they took up their positions. Standing as straight as she could, Serena trained her eye on the target in the distance. Aware of the tension that gripped the audience, she raised her bow and pulled back the fletched arrow. Sliding a quick glance at the competitor on her right she noticed she was in the same stance, her violet eyes focused and determined. With her pretty face set in concentration, Serena sighed.

"And now, ladies and gentlemen. The last two competitors of the contest!" The adjudicator announced. "Ladies! Ready! Aim! Release!"

As strings twanged and arrows whistled high in the air, the thudding sound of the arrows meeting its target filled the silence. As men went to inspect the results, the winner was announced over the wind.

She had won. By the skin of her teeth. Realising what it meant, her eyes widened in horror.

A/N: Thank you for reading. I have no knowledge of archery, so please forgive me. I hope I filled in the basic parts of it!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Thank you everyone!

Chapter 1: The worse luck

Deaf to the applause that erupted all around her, Serena stood dumbstruck, her competition throwing down her bow in a fit. No, it could not be. '_It was a trick, it had to be a trick,' _her mind whispered. Face paling as the Prince stood from his seat with a beatific smile, she felt the ground move beneath her feet. Covering her face as she forced herself to calm down, she tried to be practical, logical.

Surely the Prince wasn't fool enough to defy law and continue with the marriage? From experience, those born into status rarely did anything stupid or foolish. Their rearing and pride would not allow them to look the fool. It was always the lower class that looked silly, and knowing her luck, she would be the laughing stock of the entire kingdom.

As the targets were brought to the front of the dais, she paled as evidence of her skills as a superb archer was displayed. Eyes sliding to the Prince who was now walking towards her with his royal guard, she froze on the spot, remembering each and every face. It was the boys from all those years ago.

* * *

"This is not wise, your highness," Malachite hissed. "This is not wise at all."

Gaze trained on the petite figure in the distance, Darien gave a carefree laugh, liking the shade of her hair in the sunlight. "Oh stop being such a kill joy, Malachite."

"A killjoy?" Malachite sputtered in outrage. "How am I being a killjoy, your highness? You are planning marriage to a commoner!"

"Oh stop making it sound like the plague. She's human isn't she?"

"But she's beneath you!"

Stopping in his tracks, the men stopped with him, heads bowed slightly. Looking at his childhood friends, Darien sighed. "You are all idiots, you know that, don't you?" Rubbing the frown creasing his brow, he looked to the woman again, her face still too far to see. "Do you honestly think I would do anything that rash? I know my responsibilities and duties as a Prince. I have had it drilled into me, right from the day I was born."

Expelling a breath, he tugged at his clothes. "I'm just having a bit of fun, where is the harm in that?" He queried. "Besides, I'm to be married soon anyway. My father has already agreed to an alliance with the kingdom of Dark Moon. I'm to marry the most beautiful woman in the world."

As silence befell his companions, Darien picked up the pace. "Come on. Time to make the girl look like a fool."

* * *

They didn't remember her. Standing before her and beaming down at her, Serena looked up at them from beneath her lashes, her body sunk into an awkward curtsy. Overcome with the desire to shoot them all down, her nostrils flared as the Prince looked down at her, his face an unreadable mask.

"Rise my future wife," the Prince said, his blue eyes twinkling as he turned to the applauding crowd. "And now my good people, I hear by present to my wife, a token of my affection!"

Almost shrieking as he took her hand, Serena started to hyperventilate as he placed a small bag into the palm of her hand. Amid the cheers of the crowd and the wails of heartbroken women, she simply stared the thing. Feeling its weight, her mind went into overdrive. There was only one possible thing inside the bag; gold. Feeling her mouth go dry, she could not take her eyes off the damn thing. The gold would last for months! With it, she could provide her village with new clothes, shoes, food in their bellies. Daring to imagine the future, trumpets heralded the arrival of the King and Queen.

* * *

The entertainment was over.

Watching as his father and his queen bid the kneeling citizens to rise, Darien sighed. Together, they ruined everything that was fun. Scowling as they explained to the audience that the competition had been nothing but a hoax, he flushed, feeling the sting of evil glares from the female audience. Shifting his gaze to the woman with the lovely, golden he winced, noting that she still clutched the bag in her hand. There was nothing but rocks in there. About to tell her to discard the dratted thing, the captain of his father's guard was moving towards her, his army of soldiers hot on his tail.

Sensing trouble, Darien intervened. "Let her go."

"King's orders, your Highness," the captain said. "We must retrieve that bag."

"There is nothing in it," Darien insisted. "Nothing of worth."

"I apologise your highness," the captain said seriously. "But an order is an order. I dare not defy the King."

* * *

Feeling relieved and almost joyous, Serena struggled to contain herself from leaping for joy. Far from disappointed, she lowered her gaze to the bag still in her hand. Aware that the bag was no longer hers, she gulped. At the sound of footsteps, she looked up to see the soldiers heading her way.

With every instinct screaming at her to remain where she was, she turned and ran, the bag clenched tightly in her fist. They would have her head for this. Sprinting as fast as she could, she was no match for the soldiers' long legs. Capturing her in an instant, they held her tight as she struggled in their grip, fighting as one of the soldiers tried to pry the bag from beneath her fingers, the captain simply aiming a crossbow in her direction, intent on killing her should she make one wrong move.

"Give it up, girl. Disobey me and I'll put this quarrel right where it belongs."

Forced to her knees before the King and Queen of Earth, Serena bowed her head in shame as thoughts of her father and village flooded through her head. She had been a stupid fool. Why? Why? Her mind screamed as tears leaked from beneath her lashes.

Staring down at the mite of a girl, the King of Earth paused for a minute. Discovering the bag to contain nothing but rocks, he was about to let her go, when his Queen squeezed his arm, her eyes seeing everything.

"You must set an example my liege," she purred. "Though it is true there was nothing of worth in that bag, you must teach the good people of this kingdom the punishment for stealing. Imagine, if gold had been in that bag..."

She had said enough. Staring down at the girl, he took a deep breath. His queen was right. He had to set an example.

A/N: THANK YOU FOR READING!


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: No ownership sorry.

A/N: Thank you all very much! Your reviews drew me into finishing a quick chapter...I hope you like it. You give amateurs like me a chance :). Any feedback very welcome.

Chapter 3: To the dungeons

He hadn't been able to defend the poor girl as they took her away.

Sentenced to ten lashings and life in the dungeons, the guilt running rife through him was almost painful. Rarely ever admitting he was in the wrong, he could not deny his cruel role in the imprisonment of an innocent.

Unaccustomed to feelings of remorse and guilt, he frowned as he listened to his friends, all agreeing the girl got what she deserved. No longer able to keep pretending that he enjoyed what he did nor accept thanks for his acting skills, he excused himself, claiming a headache. As he walked to his chambers, he could have sworn he heard the disappointed sigh of his mother. Feeling even worse, his lips thinned into a grim line. He had to do something; something that would make everything right.

* * *

She had to admit, the lashings had hurt like hell. Her back screaming with pain, she nibbled at the skin on the inside of her bottom lip to keep from crying. The metallic taste of blood seemed to hold them at bay as she picked at the floor of the cell, keeping far away from the pile of old human excrement.

As she worked her fingers through dirty, soiled straw, she thought of her father. Envisioning him watching the horizon for her victorious return, she found herself thinking also of the little girls and their misshapen daisy chains, their dirty faces bubbling with excitement at crowning their favorite person in the whole wide world. Feeling the tears brimming in her eyes, she suddenly laughed.

She was an idiot. A stupid, foolish idiot. What was she thinking, running like a bloody harlot with a worthless bag in her hand? She should have known. _She should have known_. The Prince was a trickster, an evil being dressed in fine clothes. Swiping her eyes with the back of her hand, she indulged in murderous visions, the Prince featuring in every single one. As the wailings of other prisoners jolted her back to reality, the cruel smile that played on her lips disappeared. Turning her head and looking through what she could see of the iron door, her mouth turned downwards. Soon enough, the darkness would be her friend.

* * *

He was going to set her free.

A move that would quite possibly see him punished severely, the escape plan refused to budge from his mind. Believing the idea would undo all his wrong doings, he was slipping out into the night, under the cloak of darkness. Trained in the art of fighting for years, his movements were stealthy, fluid. Adjusting the mask covering the top half of his face, he cursed as it slipped. Tugging it back into place, he was felt like a fool. Dressed for a fancy costume ball instead of blending in with the shadows, his non-descript outfit would have made anyone notice. A white, angled eye mask and a black cloak with red lining was hardly a disguise meant to be concealed in the dark.

After making it clear to the guards that he was not to be disturbed by anyone, he had raided every chest and closet in his chambers, finding absolutely nothing to wear. Aware his father and friends had come looking for him, he was pleased the guards did not falter under their questioning as they relayed his request to be left alone. Keeping to the shadows as he made his way to the keep, he prayed Lady Luck was with him.

* * *

Someone should have warned her about the prison guards. With her arms wrapped around her knees, Serena blinked into the flare of the torches as the guard leered at her through the bars. Having slept for countless hours, the heavy breathing and the sound of heavy feet had woken her from a dreamless sleep.

"Well, look at you. I had heard, but just had to see myself," the guard grinned toothily, displaying a set of rotten teeth in the firelight. "Pretty young thing like yourself doomed to die in such gloom and filth. What a shame," He said, feigning pity. "Tell you what," he said, his voice whisper soft. "Why don't you take that shift off and let me tend to those awful wounds. I have been said to have the hands of a healer,"

"More like the hands of a shit collector," another man laughed, his face half concealed by the dark.

As more laughter erupted, Serena felt the blood drain from her face. Eyes tracking the three men who stood staring at her in the flickering torchlight, she suppressed the growing fear. She was completely at their mercy and they knew it. They would rape her repeatedly, torture her. Feeling her body tense, she made herself smaller, curling into herself as she mentally racked her brain for a brilliant idea that would put her out of harm's way. Met with nothing, the jangle of keys and the soft snitch of the rusty lock opening had her releasing the urine stored in her bladder. Her body had gone into survival mode. As the sour smell wafted up into the air, she prayed it was enough to discourage the men who had stepped into her cell...

Something evil was at work.

He knew that as soon as he slipped through the door to the dungeon stairs. Noting the absence of the guards, he stared into the fetid darkness of the stairwell. Having not stepped foot into the keep since boyhood, he was at a disadvantage, memory of the place hazy. Unless the girl made a sound he would never be able to find her. Grabbing a torch before he began his descent into the dark, a bloodcurdling scream had him rushing towards the sound below.

Screaming as the men held her down, Serena kicked and grappled as the first man proceed to tear the shift from her body.

"Feisty one, aren't you?" He breathed, his voice heightening in excitement as he slapped her hard, the blood welling in her mouth. Her ears ringing, she sobbed as the man succeeded in stripping her naked, the sound of him fumbling with his breeches filling her with dread. As cruel laughter echoed around the cell, the swine knelt between her legs.

A/N: HATE ME YES, CLIFF HANGERS ROCK! NOW I SHALL RETURN TO COGNITIVE BEHAVIOURAL THEORY. STAY TUNED LOVES!


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